Immigration advice has changed

We have a proven track record of providing high quality advice and representation on a wide range of service requirements, from developing immigration strategies and compliant employment documentation, high level support to in-house HR teams, to managing a fully contracted out end-to-end immigration process.

The days of passively supporting migrants and the visa process and leaving it “up to them to sort it out” have more or less gone. The landscape has shifted and the immigration system has been changed by the New Zealand Government, with the expectation that visa processes are increasingly employer-led process. This has been in place in many overseas jurisdictions for some time, and New Zealand is now starting to follow.

The risks of getting it wrong are huge. There are significant financial penalties, and in the worst case scenario, losing the ability to hire migrant workers altogether. In addition, there are risks of damage to reputation/brand, business interruption, and losing business to competition that have superior systems in place to recruit, access visas and manage/settle migrant workers.

To complicate matters, there are also restrictions on guidance that can be provided to migrants – meaning HR Managers are no longer able to assist employees with the visa process unless licensed to do so.

A casual attitude in this environment is too risky, responsible employers now have no choice but to actively engage in and manage the process on behalf of their staff and prospective staff.

So, what are your competitors doing?

Most multi-national companies operating in New Zealand already have sophisticated systems and processes for attracting and managing migrant workers. We work with a number of them.

In addition, a number of leading New Zealand employers have also developed sophisticated strategies for recruiting, securing visas and managing/settling their migrant worker staff. We work with them and have assisted them to develop and/or improve their systems.

To remain competitive a clearly defined policy is essential. The difference between companies who do and don’t have well-developed immigration systems and processes can be a game-changer.

The shortages in skilled talent cannot be addressed domestically, but there is a global pool of talent that can be accessed. However, there is significant competition both internationally and domestically, for the same talent, where recruitment and visa support is being offered as an employment incentive.

The search for key talent is going to get harder. Therefore, to play in the same field and be successful, you need to be able to compete.

How can we help?

The New Zealand immigration process can be challenging, but our team here have the practical understanding from both sides, so approach the way we operate in a practical, sensible and no nonsense way, backed up by technical expertise in the background that can be leveraged when required.

We are renowned for a high success rate, commitment to our clients and ability to provide robust and practical advice, from standard applications through to managing exceptionally complicated immigration issues.

We provide a service far beyond simply filling out visa forms. We have a clear value proposition. The clients we act for and the significant growth of our corporate service offering would not have happened if our ability was limited to copy writing.